Crane construction



' Get. 28, 1941. N J'IHARRY 2,260,317

CRANE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 12, 1959 Q 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Oct. 28, 1941.

- R. J. HARRY CRANE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 12, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Oct. 28, 1941. R. J. HARRY 2,260,317

CRANE couswnucnon Filed Jan. 12, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet :s

Patented Oct. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,260,317 CRANE CONSTRUCTION Robert J Harry, Alliance, Ohio Application January 12, 1939, Serial No. 250,575

12 Claims.

This invention relates to load carrying, raising, and lowering apparatus such as a crane, and more particularly, to a new and improved crane construction.

In crane constructions embodying a main trolley as well as an auxiliary trolley, certain problems have arisen in connection with the space requirements thereof. Heretofore it has been customary to mount the auxiliary girders for the auxiliary trolley on a plane below the upper plane of the main girders. Such a construction followed in view of limitations imposed by the operating apparatus, and particularly, by the hoist drums.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that in an ordinary crane construction, it is necessary to increase the diameter, and thus, the size of the hoist drums, as the load carrying capacity of the crane structure is increased. The same is true where the span of the auxiliary crane is to be increased. The increased diameter of the drums will, in turn, decrease the available head room or the space between the upper plane or level of the auxiliary trolley and the lower inside plane or level of the main portions of the trolley. This has been particularly true by reason of the central location of the hoist drums.

For higher capacity cranes, space requirements have become a distinct problem. Most specifications require a sheave wheel diameter at least thirty times the diameter of the rope or cable, and any increase in the diameter of the rope will result in a necessarily greater corresponding increase in the diameter of the sheave wheels. In the ordinary form of crane construction, any increase in the diameter of the sheave wheels will necessarily increase the distance between the main and auxiliary girders, since the axes of such sheave wheels normally extend parallel to and between such longitudinally extending main and auxiliary girders.

And, it has been an object of the present invention to meet the above-mentioned difficulties.

Another object has been to provide a new and improved crane construction that will require less plant head room space for a given load capacity.

Another object has been to devise a crane arrangement wherein an increase of capacity will have little or no effect upon the head room necessary and/or of such a type that increased head room is available for the load capacity..

A further object has been to provide a new and improved relationship between the driving, driven, and other operating and supporting parts of a crane.

These and many other objects of my invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the drawings, the description thereof, and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view in elevation and in partial section showing a crane construction built in accordance with the principles of my invention;

Figure 2 is an end view in elevation of a suitable end carriage construction taken from the right hand side of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side section taken along the line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a front or end view in elevation similar to that of Figure 1 but showing a modified main and auxiliary girder arrangement;

Figure 5 is an end fragmental right hand section similar to that of Figure 2 but showing the embodiment of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a side sectional view in elevation taken along the line VI-VI of Figure 5.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably locate and position hoist drums and their associated sheaves in such a manner that they are on opposite sides of the auxiliary portions of a crane construction. They are also mounted in such a manner that their size proportions will not materially affect the head room be-, tween the main portions of the crane and the auxiliary portions thereof. The driving or motivating mechanism for the drums has been located between the drums and above the auxiliary portions of the crane without decreasing the effectiveness and efliciency of the actuation and operation of the drum and hoist parts actuated thereby. The main and auxiliary hoists are shown provided with suitable carriages for moving them longitudinally of the plant and both are, in turn, suitably supported on a transversely extending end carriage structure for moving them transversely of the plant. That is, the end carriage structure moves the hoists in a directional plane substantially at right angles to the directional plane of movement of the hoists taken individually.

The right and left hand portions of an end carriage construction II! are the same; and for the purpose of illustration I have shown only a right hand portion thereof, see particularly Figures 2 and 3. Although the end carriage l0 may be of any suitable construction, I have shown a representative one having balanced and pivotally mounted wheel carriages II at opposite ends thereof. A pair of transversely movable flanged track wheels l2 are operably mounted adjacent each end of each carriage H and their flanges cooperate with a suitable transversely extending track rail l 3.

The main portions of the crane are supported by a pair of transversely-spaced-apart, longitudinally extending and vertically projecting girders l which are mounted at opposite ends upon the end carriages l0. In like manner, auxiliary girders I! having a spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other and also with respect to adjacently positioned main girders-I 5 extend longitudinally of the construction and are mounted at opposite ends upon the carriages 1-0.

The main portions of the crane have a transversely extending frame 20 that is provided with spaced-apart and downwardly projectingportions 2| adjacent opposite ends thereof. This construction provides a substantially ll-shaped main frame when viewed from the end, or in other words, from the front and back portions of the "crane. 'The side portions 2! preferably have a spacing slightly greater than the'main transverse width of the auxiliary crane 50, in order that such auxiliary crane may operate within the space thus provided.

The side extensions 2| of the main frame also have outwardly offset portions for receiving a track wheel housing construction 22 within which suitable flanged track wheels 23 are journaled, see particularly Figure 1. may be driven in any suitable manner, for example, through the agency of a gear 24, a pinion 25, and a drive shaft 26, also journaled within the housing 2 2. A motor may be employed for actuating the shaft 26, see, for example, my copending application Serial No. 250,578,'filed January 12, 1939, and entitled Hoist crane construction. I

The side extension portions 2| also are provided with bearing supports for hoist sheaves '43.

In Figure 1, I havesomewhat diagrammatically illustrated a driving mechanism for hoist drumshc. It includes'motors 30,'a magnetic or other suitable type of brake 3|, an armature shaft 3 2, 'intermeshing gears 33 for synchronizing'more than one motor, drum actuating j-and synchronizing gears 34, and oppositely-positioned and transversely-extending drive shafts 35 having pinions intermeshing with a'gear track 42 extending about each of the hoist drums 4ll. Although any'suitableform of driving mechan'ism may be employed in this connection, adetail'ed description of the arrangement diagrammatically shown for the purpose of illustration is disclosed in my copending application above mentioned.

I preferably provide a pair of adjacently 'po'siti'oned and directly gear interlocked drums-40 on each side of the frame '20, that are journaled within suitable bearings 4|. In like manner, the drive or pinion shafts 35 which extend transversely adjacent opposite ends of the frame 20 and intertie the drums are journaled within suitable bearings 4|. I 7

Lower sheaves 44 are mounted on'the ladle beam 46 and enable the ladle beam and an associated pair of spaced-apart ladle hooks 41 to be suitably raised and lowered. Hoist ropes or chains have been indicated by the numeral 45.

shown particularly in Figure 4, the auxil- The track wheels 23 iary trolley 50 is provided with oppositely-positioned track wheels 54 which ride on track rails 3, are journaled Within suitable bearings, and are provided with a drive shaft 53 that is driven by gears 52 and motor 5|.

In the embodiment of my invention shown particularly in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the auxiliary girders I! are mounted in such a manner that their upper flange, face, or track portions are substantially flush with, or in other Words. are located on substantially the same plane as the similar portions of the main girders [5. This particular construction permits the mounting of the trolley 50 substantially Within the lower portions or confines of the main frame 20.

In the embodiment of my invention shown particularly in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the upper planes or portions of the auxiliary girders H are mounted above similar portions or planes of the main girders l5; this arrangement provides an even greater saving of space and head room. In both embodiments, the auxiliary trolley '50 is located substantially between the 0ppositely-positioned upper sheaves 43 and also Within their horizontal planes.

Since the present invention deals primarily with the location and arrangement of main and auxiliary trolleys and/or girder portions of a crane and with a suitable location of the operating parts of the main trolley, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other suitable forms of drive mechanisms and operative parts and operating relationships may be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. It will also be apparent that modifications, substitutions, additions, etc., may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

-I claim:

1. In an overhead crane construction, a substantially U-shaped transversely extending main frame, said U-shaped frame having side portions depending downwardly therefrom, interlocking hoist drum pairs operably mounted with respect to said depending side portions, an actuating drive mechanism for said drum pairs mounted on said frame between said depending side portions, said actuating mechanism being operably connected to said hoist drums, sheaves operably mounted in said side depending portions in a cooperative relationship with respect to said hoist' drum pairs, and an auxiliary frame operably mounted beneath said main frame and between sa1d depending side portions thereof.

2. In an overhead crane construction having 7 ably mounted for movement along tracks of said sides thereof and beneath and in a cooperative relationship with respect to said drums.

3. In an overhead crane construction, a pair of substantially longitudinally-extending and spaced-apart main girders, a pair of substantially longitudinally-extending and spaced-apart auxiliary girders having a spaced-apart and inwardly-positioned relationship with respect to said main girders, end carriages, said main and auxiliary girders being mounted on said end carriages and having a separated relation along their lengths with respect to each other, an auxiliary trolley having hoist means thereon operably mounted for movement along said auxiliary girders, a main trolley having hoist means thereon operably mounted for movement along said main girders, and upper portions of said auxiliary girders lying along a plane that is above a plane along which said main girders lie.

4. In a crane construction as defined in claim 3, wherein one of said hoist means comprises interlocking drum pairs.

5. In an overhead crane construction, a main hoist adapted to move substantially longitudinally of the construction, an auxiliary hoist, drum pairs, the drums of each of said pairs being operably intermeshed and havin a portion of their axes in a side-by-side relationship, said drum pairs being operably positioned on said main hoist in a spaced-apart relationship substantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of movement thereof, such portions of the drum axes extending substantially transversely of said main hoist, said auxiliary hoist being operably mounted, beneath the spacing between said drum palrs.

6. In an overhead crane construction, a main hoist adapted to move substantially longitudinally of the construction, an auxiliary hoist adapted to move substantially longitudinally of the construction, drum pairs, the drums of each of said pairs being operably intermeshed and having a portion of their axes in a side-by-side relationship, said drum pairs being operably positioned on said main hoist in a spaced-apart relationship substantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of movement thereof, portions of the drum axes extending substantially transversely of said main hoist, said main hoist having a substantially upwardly offset portion along the spacing between said drum pairs, said auxiliary hoist being operably positioned beneath said main hoist and within said offset portion thereof.

7. In an overhead crane construction, main girders and auxiliary girders, a main hoist operably mounted on said main girders, an auxiliary hoist operably mounted on said auxiliary girders, said main hoist having spaced-apart interlocking drum pairs, said interlocking pairs being located adjacent opposite sides of said main hoist, said auxiliary girders being positioned beneath the spacing between said drum pairs, said auxiliary girders being mounted in such a manner that upper portions thereof are located on planes at least corresponding in height to upper bounding planes of said main girders.

8. In an overhead crane construction, main girders and auxiliary girders, a main ho-st operably mounted for movement along said main girders, intermeshing drum pairs located on opposite sides of said main hoist, said auxiliary hoist being operably mounted beneath the spacing between said drum pairsand for movement along said auxiliary girders, and an operating plane representing relative movement between said main hoist and said main girders being of a height at least corresponding to the height of an operating plane representing relative movement between said auxiliary hoist and said auxiliary girders.

9. In an overhead crane construction as defined in claim 6 wherein the operating plane of relative movement of said main hoist and girders is mounted above the operating plane of relative movement of said auxiliary hoist and girders.

10. In an overhead crane construction, main girders and auxiliary girders, a main hoist operably mounted on said main girders, said main hoist having spaced-apart drum pairs with intermeshing gears, an auxiliary hoist operably mounted on said auxiliary girders, said auxiliary girders being positioned oifsetly with respect to said drum pairs and in the spacing between said drum pairs, auxiliary-hoist-mounting portions of said auxiliary girders being located on planes at least corresponding in height to main-hoist-mounting portions of said main I girders.

11. In an overhead crane construction as defined in claim 10, end carriages, said main and auxiliary girders being mounted on said end carriages and having a spaced relation along their length with respect thereto.

12. In an overhead crane construction having a pair of main rail girders and a pair of auxiliary rail girders, end carriages, said main and auxiliary girders being mounted on said end carriages and having a spaced relation along their lengths with respect to each other, a main trolley mounted for movement along said main girders, an auxiliary trolley mounted for movement along said auxiliary girders, said main trolley having spaced-apart hoist drums, said auxiliary trolley being operably mounted beneath the spacing between said drums and within side-bounding portions of said main trolley, said auxiliary girders also being mounted in such a manner that upper portions thereof are located on planes at least corresponding in height to upper bounding planes of said main girders, sheaves operably mounted on said main hoist frame, and hoist ropes operably depending from said sheaves on each side of the crane between main and auxiliary girders.

ROBERT J. HARRY. 

